Plastic bag tax - to be increased and extended say reports

This extension of the plastic bag charge to smaller shops is a welcome, logical next step in tackling single-use plastics

Mary Creagh MP,
Chair, Commons Environmental Audit Committee,

In July, a number of the leading supermarkets said they had seen a decrease of 86% in plastic bag use since the 5p charge was introduced.

Reports also suggest that Prime Minister Theresa May and Environment Secretary Michael Gove have already approved a move to extend the charge to all shops including smaller outlets with less than 250 employees in England.

In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all shops, however small, have to apply the charge.

The 5p levy was introduced in Wales in 2011, Northern Ireland in 2013, Scotland in 2014 and England in October 2015.

The MCS Great British Beach Clean found that the number of plastic bags on UK beaches had dropped by almost half between 2015 and 2016. The lowest number reported in over a decade,

At the time Lauren Eyles, MCS Beachwatch Manager, said: “In the last decade, our Great British Beach Clean volunteers have found an average of ten single use carrier bags for every 100 metres of coastline cleaned. This year, for the first time since the charges were introduced, we’ve seen a significant drop in the number and that can only be as a result of the 5p charge which is now in place in all the home nations. It vindicates the charge, which we predicted would be good news for the marine environment.”